Rob Vining HTNB VP_NewFEMAProcessNeeded_0310

Published on June 2016 | Categories: Documents | Downloads: 34 | Comments: 0 | Views: 132
of 2
Download PDF   Embed   Report

Comments

Content

viewpoints | 2010

new feMa process needed
rob Vining
national Flood Management practice Leader HntB Corporation

More than 100,000 miles of levees crisscross the length and breadth of our country, ranging from sophisticated systems of concrete floodwalls to simple piles of dirt and sand. Millions of homeowners and businesses rely on this under-resourced daisy chain to protect against floods and rising rivers. this year is no exception, as the national weather service recently announced that nearly one-third of the nation is at risk for flooding.

deadline hazards the two-year timeline and the differing requirements set by FeMA and UsACe pose a challenge. Many cities could be forced to pay for levee system improvements twice. while interim solutions may be put in place in time to meet FeMA standards, many cities also will need to pay for long-term replacement systems in order to meet higher UsACe standards.
this creates a dilemma. Does a city invest in higher levels of protection for its citizens and property but miss the FeMA deadline for redrawing? or should the city build costly interim projects, only to revamp its levees a few years later? Currently, there is not an official process for FeMA to extend timelines while cities work to make systematic improvements to levee systems. without a process in place to work through extensions with FeMA, many communities are finding themselves in uncharted territory.

ThreaT of feMa flood zone reMapping Until 2005 there was no national effort to monitor levees and track their effectiveness against storms. Hurricane Katrina changed that. since Katrina, with funding by Congress, the U.s. Army Corps of engineers has led the charge to comprehensively assess our nation’s levees.
As a result, more than 124 levee systems in 16 states have been found to be deficient. Many communities have been notified by UsACe during the past year that their levees are unlikely to withstand a significant flood.

Beyond the challenges these communities face during flood season, if cities cannot bring their levees up to standard within two years, the Federal emergency Management Agency could redraw flood plain lines on some communities already are taking proactive steps the assumption that the levees in question do not exist. to address these deficiencies. on-the-ground levee assessments and immediate engagement with flood the threats of uninsurability, deflated property values management authorities at every level of government and halted development plans under redrawn flood will be crucial. maps would hamper economic recovery amidst the largest downturn since the Great Depression. to two years is simply not long enough. A two-pronged citizens who depend on levees to protect them in the approach is needed. event of a flash flood, hurricane or storm, the safety implications of failure are more dire. First, city managers and citizens must engage with FeMA to convince the agency to put a formal

a Call To aCTion Dozens of cities across the nation have been, or soon will be, notified the levees protecting their citizens and property are deficient.

viewpoints | 2010

extension process in place. Flood remapping timelines should be extended while levee improvements are underway. Allow cities to focus on the solution, not the overly compressed process. second, residents in flood prone states should contact their local members of Congress to support a bill that will suspend flood insurance rate map updates in areas where levees are being repaired. the newly established bipartisan Congressional Levee Caucus has prioritized this issue and a draft bill is currently under consideration. either FeMA or Congress should intercede. we need a new process to ensure homeowners do not face major insurance cost increases while providing smart fiscal spending solutions to make our levees strong. improving our nation’s flood management infrastructure is time consuming and complex. it involves a range of policy, funding and engineering challenges. in the end, the only way to advance flood management policy is through a united commitment and effort between elected officials, city, state and federal flood and emergency management agencies and the communities they protect.
Rob vining is the national flood management practice leader at HntB Corporation and serves as a consultant to federal, state and municipal flood management agencies on levee policy and engineering challenges.

hnTB eXperT ConTaCT inforMaTion
rob Vining national Flood Management practice Leader HntB Corporation (225) 368-2800 e-mail: [email protected]

HntB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure firm serving federal, state, municipal, military and private clients. with nearly a century of service, HntB has the insight to understand the life cycle of infrastructure and the perspective to solve the most complex technical, financial and operational challenges. professionals nationwide provide award-winning planning, design, program management and construction management services. For more information, visit www.hntb.com.

The information contained in this document is proprietary and should not be reused or reproduced without the written consent of HNTB Public Relations. To obtain these permissions, please contact John O’Connell, HNTB Senior Public Relations Manager, at [email protected].

Sponsor Documents

Or use your account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Forgot your password?

Or register your new account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password.

Back to log-in

Close